I've gotta give credit to my friend Lauren for helping me with this chapter. Lauren is definetely the reigning expert on all things Demyx… most of the Demyx dialogue in this chapter was her idea. You're the best, Lauren.
Keep in mind that neither Lauren nor I own any of these characters, sad as it seems. Thanks to Blastbone, DearlyBeloved-13, and anyone else who reviewed.
(insert evil laugh) Beating up Saix is fun. Enjoy.
"ARE YOU NUTS?" Demyx yelled.
"That's debatable," Bruixe agreed.
"You're crazy!" her friend ranted. "There's no way you'll get him out of there, it's suicide, there's always a guard, and you can't get into the dungeon by portal, it's some sort of spell Xaldin designed. It's imposs –"
Bruixe waved a hand impatiently. "We're not arguing about this. If I leave without Axel, they'll kill him. Why keep him around if they're not gonna use him for blackmail against me? If there's a guard, well, we'll just have to make some sort of distraction. Something huge. If Xaldin's out of the way… I can take care of Saix."
Demyx eyed her dubiously, but didn't question her logic. "If it's a distraction you need," he began slowly, "I might have an idea. Leave it to me."
Bruixe blinked. "You'll… help me?"
"Of course!" he said, shocked. "You're like my best friend! Well, if Nobodies even have friends. Besides, someone's got to keep you out of trouble."
"You're the best. Ever," she told him gratefully. "How much time can you get me?"
He frowned. "Fifteen minutes, tops. Then they'll figure it out… and just pointing out here, even if I give you a distraction, Saix isn't gonna leave. The alarm doesn't sound in the dungeons."
"Like I said, not a problem," Bruixe said airily, thinking, We have an alarm system?
"You wanna do it now, or later?" Demyx asked.
"The sooner, the better," she answered. "Is now okay? I mean, do you need to get ready, or…?"
"Now is fine," he told her.
The full implication of what they were doing struck Bruixe then. "What if they know you helped me?" she whispered.
Demyx shrugged. "Doesn't matter," he said. "They won't kill me, I'm not worth it to them."
"Come with us," Bruixe offered. "Believe me, I know a place they'll never find us, we'll be safe, and –"
He shook his head. "If I went with you, who would give you your distraction?" he pointed out. "Besides, I'd only slow you down. Don't argue with me, just go."
Bruixe was going to argue anyway, but Demyx crossed his arms and did his best to look stubborn. "Okay, you win," she relented.
Her friend opened a portal. "Wait until you hear the alarm, then go," he told her. "Tell Axel… tell him I said 'hey'."
"Will do," she said. "Demyx… look, I know how this is going to sound, but… why do you care?"
He frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Nobodies don't have feelings," Bruixe mused. "Why are you doing this? You don't have to get yourself in trouble… but you care. Why?"
He gave her a wistful look. "Because," he said. "I don't want my best friend to get hurt. Even if it means I'll never see her again."
For the first time Bruixe could remember, she was absolutely speechless.
"'Bye, Bruixe," Demyx said, and then he was gone.
Bruixe followed Demyx's instructions and waited not-very-patiently, lurking silently in a side hallway, until the castle alarm went off and Xaldin's heavy footsteps thundered past. She stole around a corner, keeping on her toes, trying to make as little noise as possible as she sprinted to the dungeons.
Demyx had only promised her fifteen minutes. Ticktock, she thought. We're on the clock.
She'd never been in here before. The room was the same bleached white as the rest of the castle, and Bruixe wondered what Xemnas had against color. A walkway ran along one wall; prison cells hung suspended near the opposite wall, touching nothing, seemingly weightless.
She hurtled past empty cells until she spotted Axel in one, slumped against a wall, wearing nothing but a pair of black pants. On any other occasion, she was sure Axel would make some snide remark about being shirtless. As for right now, shock seemed to overcome his sense of humor.
"What are you doing here?" he whispered. Both of his hands and forearms were bloody and scarred; some of the wounds looked fresh. Saix's handiwork, no doubt. Angry red welts crisscrossed his back and shoulders.
"Busting you out," Bruixe replied grimly. "What's it look like?"
"Are you CRAZY?" he hissed.
"Seemingly," said a bored voice from behind her. Bruixe wheeled to see Saix. Of course, she thought. Well, she couldn't say she hadn't looked forward to this.
Without waiting for him to go on, Bruixe sprang at him, catching his jaw in a right hook. No weapons, she decided. More fun that way.
She gave him no mercy, pummeling him with her fists, her knees, her feet. Saix struggled to block her blows, but he wasn't as good hand-to-hand as she was. She had no doubts that if he could summon his berserker claymore, he'd destroy her, but all she had to do was make sure he didn't have room for that.
Bruixe growled and threw a final punch at his face, but to her surprise he dodged, hand flashing out. A line of pain streaked across her face, and she caught a glimpse of a short dagger in the Diviner's hand – probably the same one he'd used to torture Axel.
Too bad for him, Bruixe's rage over Axel far outweighed the pain from her cheek. She whipped her foot up and kicked the dagger out of Saix's hand, drilling her elbow into that stupid X-shaped scar. He dropped to the floor like so much dead weight.
Ticktock, said a little voice in the back of her head.
She glared down at the fallen Diviner, but rather than finish him off, she turned and sprinted to Axel's cell.
"Jeez," was all the redhead had to say.
She ignored this. "Watch yourself," she said. She closed her eyes and remembered the sensation of darkness from when she was in the Eternal Kingdom. Power flowed down her arm, concentrating in the palm of her hand. "Break," she whispered, eyes snapping open. The cell bars exploded with a noise like the end of the world.
Her magic looked a little different than the last time she'd used it. Before, it had the deep violet-blue color of darkness; now it was streaked with silver. Twilight, she realized with irony. How appropriate.
"What did you DO?" Axel muttered, trying to get up, but his mangled limbs refused to support him.
Ticktock.
Bruixe groaned and rushed to him, dragging him up by his bicep and draping his arm across her shoulder. "Xaldin will be back any minute," she told him. "We've got to run."
Pure adrenaline got them to the dungeon exit, and Bruixe spotted Axel's cloak piled on the floor; she snagged it as they came out into the eerie World That Never Was starlight.
She summoned a portal and half-shoved her friend through, scanning around to make sure no one had seen before she followed.
We did it, she realized. We escaped the Organization.